San Francisco, CA
San Francisco restaurant owner goes on 30-day hunger strike over new bike lane
A San Francisco restaurant owner is undergoing a 30-day hunger strike to protest a new bike lane he says is destroying businesses.
While the decision may seem extreme, 41-year-old Eiad Eltawil said he felt it was necessary after the city’s Municipal Transportation Agency refused to address the Mission District neighborhood’s complaints about a 12-month trial bike lane. After 11 days of sleeping outside and not eating, he Eltawil says he’s lost about 15 pounds.
“Yesterday was an extremely tough day, my stomach really, just in extreme pain,”Eltawil told USA TODAY on Thursday. “Before that I was doing OK. But I’m willing to do it. I really want people to know all my suffering I’m going through.”
Eltawil said he isn’t just his fighting for his family, which owns the Yasmin Mediterranean restaurant and the Rossi Mission SF artwork store, but several others he says are being hurt by the bike lane. He also intends to pursue legal action against the city.
Bike lane cuts 70 parking spaces
Since launching in August, the bike lane has created a parking deficit on Valencia Street by removing 70 spaces, according to attorney Jim Quadra, who is representing Eltawil. The implementation has also shortened the amount of time drivers can use the remaining spots, some of which have a five-minute time limit.
At least 10 businesses on the street have closed and Quadra said he expects that number to rise to 15 before the trial period ends. The lane has also eliminated all left turns on Valencia, creating more traffic congestion.
“If you’re going to come all the way to a neighborhood like Valencia, if you don’t have parking, it’s impossible,” Eltawil said. “Five minutes is not going to do it. No left turns makes confusion, a lot of accidents. It’s just become very undesirable.”
The street has also seen an increase in accidents, near misses and some serious collisions, Quadra said. Additionally deliveries to the businesses have become nearly impossible.
“You have these trucks to deliver for restaurants and other shops and if they pull over, they’re basically blocking traffic,” Quadra said. “It’s a complete mess that was created.”
‘Lack of communication’ inspires hunger strike
Even more frustrating and dangerous than the lane itself is the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s lack to communicate, Eltawil said, adding that he’s tried talking to people in person at the office and at City Hall.
“They refuse to communicate,” he said. “Every time you send an email, they’ll send you a generic answer every single time with no forward.”
Small business consultant Kevin Ortiz, who represents Eltawil’s restaurant, also accused the agency of taking six to seven months to provide businesses with basic permits for things like outdoor seating or clothing racks, which he said is “unacceptable.”
Eltawil said other business owners choose not to speak up due to fear of retaliation so decided he’s going to raise awareness through his outdoor protest.
“All I want to do is my hunger strike and duty and try to let people know what’s going on,” he said.
Agency says they are working on solutions
The Municipal Transportation Agency said officials have spoken to stakeholders on Valencia and will use their feedback to inform the design of the bike lane.
“Our outreach and collaboration will continue through the spring, as we work on solutions that best protect both businesses and bicyclists on the corridor,” the agency said in a statement to USA TODAY.
MTA did not respond to USA TODAY’s questions about Eltawil’s and Quadra’s claims.
San Francisco, CA
Concert Week brings $25 tickets to San Francisco Bay Area
Tickets for dozens of concerts and stand-up comedy shows around the Bay Area will be available for as little $25 later this month.
The relatively cheap price will get fans in to see acts like Meghan Trainor and Avril Lavigne at the Shoreline Amphitheatre, Missy Elliott at the Oakland Arena, Weezer at San Francisco’s Chase Center and many more.
The deals are part of Live Nation’s annual Concert Week promotion. The events will be held this summer and into the fall, but the cheap tickets will be on sale from May 8-14.
But there are ways to get early access. T-Mobile customers are eligible to start making purchases on May 7. Rakuten members also get access one day before the general public.
For more information, visit Live Nation’s Concert Week web page.
The participating venues include Concord’s Toyota Pavilion, Mountain View’s Shoreline Amphitheatre, the Oakland Arena and Paramount Theatre in Oakland, the Bill Graham Civi Auditorium, Chase Center, Cobb’s Comedy Club, the Fillmore, the Masonic and the Punch Line Comedy Club in San Francisco, San Jose’s SAP Center and San Jose Civic as well as the Luther Burbank Center in Santa Rosa.
For a complete list of the Bay Area events that are part of Concert Week, see below.
San Francisco, CA
Deadly Shooting In SF Under Investigation
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco police are investigating a fatal shooting that took place earlier this week in the city’s Bayview District.
At 9:33 p.m. Monday, officers were alerted to a reported shooting in the area of Third Street and Quesada Avenue. Upon arrival, they found a man suffering from gunshot wounds.
The victim was given CPR by officers, while paramedics provided first aid, but the man eventually died after he was transported to a hospital, police said.
Find out what’s happening in San Franciscowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the San Francisco police tip line at (415) 575-4444, or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with “SFPD”, and refer to case no. 240-270-451.
Copyright © 2024 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.
Find out what’s happening in San Franciscowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.
San Francisco, CA
Popular Italian restaurant in San Francisco pivoting amid tough economic realities
SAN FRANCISCO – The cost of doing business in San Francisco is just too high for a popular Italian restaurant that was very busy and profitable, before the pandemic.
Che Fico Alimentari located on Divisadero Street says it’s a vastly different restaurant than it was when it opened in 2019 to great fanfare. Alimentari is the casual spinoff of its wildly popular original and sister restaurant, Che Fico.
The restaurant announced the difficult decision this week on its Instagram, that next Thursday, May 9, will be its final dinner service.
Over the last six months, co-owner Matt Brewer said the harsh economic realities of running an independent restaurant in the city became clear. He and chef and co-owner David Nayfeld decided to absorb Alimentari within Che Fico, and close Alimentari’s dinner service in its current form.
“We still plan on keeping it for an event space, but in its current iteration, it’s just not sustainable given a lot of the rising costs of doing business in San Francisco as a restaurant,” said Brewer.
Che Fico Alimentari said it would typically see about 120 guests during weekday dinner hours, before the pandemic. Now, they’re seating about half of that on weeknights.
The two Che Ficos will merge upstairs, and the downstairs operation will focus on to-go orders and serve cocktails as well.
The decision comes months after Alimentari cut prices by 20%.
It also recently cut its dine-in fee in half, something it instituted in 2021 to help ensure better wages and full benefits for workers.
“We have seen our payroll continue to rise, we manage it as best we can, but when we’re not seeing the additional revenue come in, people are choosing not to dine out as much,” said Brewer. “It’s not just us, it’s a citywide issue.”
One of its most striking costs is electricity. Brewer said between the two spaces, Che Fico used to pay about $7,000 a month to PG&E before the pandemic. That same bill now costs about $11,000.
San Francisco resident Jessica Roman is a loyal diner.
“We heard it was closing, which is devastating, because I’ve been coming here for as long as I can remember, so we had to come here and celebrate,” said Roman. “A lot of people moved out of the city. I feel like Che Fico attracted a lot of corporate clients and there’s fewer corporate dinners happening, and I feel like that’s where the money is, so I understand.”
“I think at the end of the day the most important thing about a restaurant is its food, and it’s still delicious here,” said diner Jonathan Klein. “It’s unfortunate, but absolutely the upstairs is still going to be as delicious as it was before.”
Ultimately, Che Fico said it’s committed to evolving and thriving in San Francisco.
“We’re bullish on the future of San Francisco, we just know it’s going to take a little bit of time right now,” said Brewer.
Brewer and Nayfeld recently opened a new market called Il Mercato di Che Fico, near its sister restaurant in Menlo Park. The owners are also planning to open another Che Fico at Mission Rock near Oracle Park in 2025.
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